N-GEN nitrogen generators extract the available nitrogen in ambient air (atmospheric air) from other gases by applying pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology. During the PSA process, the pressurised purified ambient air is fed into a molecular sieve column, which allows nitrogen to pass through as a gas, but adsorbs other gases. The sieve releases the adsorbed gases into the atmosphere when the outlet valve is closed and the column pressure returns to ambient pressure.

The column will then be cleaned with nitrogen before fresh compressed air is introduced for a new production cycle. In order to ensure a constant product flow, N-GEN nitrogen generators use two molecular sieve columns, which alternate between the adsorption and production phases. Industrial nitrogen gas can also be produced by (gaseous) air separation using membrane technology or liquid air fractionation using cryogenic technology. The decision on the production method depends on the required purity, volume and consumption regime.